Administrative/Biographical history: Roger Turpie was Captain of the London Missionary Society (LMS) ship the John Williams.

Several mission ships served LMS mission stations in the South Seas, itinerating among the islands. A succession of these ships was named John Williams (after the famous missionary), the first of them launched in 1844, and the fourth, a steamship, in 1893. The John Williams became a feature of the LMS's educational service, and an annual New Year offering for the ship became an important part of the Society's income, including gifts from children.

Custodial history:

Immediate source of acquisition: Acquired in 1993.

CONTENT AND STRUCTURE

Scope and content/abstract: Letter, 1894, from Roger Turpie to the London Missionary Society concerning his expenses while in Britain, with printed Young People's Missionary Letter, 'Our New Steamer', by Capt Turpie and others [1893], on launching the John Williams (IV).

System of arrangement:

ACCESS AND USE

Language: English

Conditions governing access: Unrestricted.

Conditions governing reproduction: No publication without written permission. Apply to archivist in the first instance.

Physical characteristics: The letter was damaged and has been repaired.

Finding aids: Collection level description.

ALLIED MATERIALS

Related material: The School of Oriental and African Studies holds the records of the London Missionary Society (Ref: CWM/LMS), including a photograph of the grave of Roger Turpie (Ref: CWM/LMS South Seas Photographs Box 5), and material relating to mission ships.

DESCRIPTION NOTES

Archivist's note: Compiled by Rachel Kemsley as part of the RSLP AIM25 project. Source: Norman Goodall, A History of the London Missionary Society 1895-1945 (1954), pp 409-11, 547, on mission ships; for Roger Turpie: http://site.archivenet.gov.au/mariners